﻿THE 
  FACT 
  OF 
  BEAUTY 
  283 
  

  

  the 
  True, 
  the 
  Beautiful, 
  and 
  the 
  Good 
  is 
  there 
  not 
  signifi- 
  

   cance 
  in 
  the 
  correspondence 
  that 
  obtains 
  between 
  these 
  and 
  

   what 
  we 
  find 
  in 
  nature? 
  To 
  the 
  ideal 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  there 
  

   corresponds, 
  perhaps, 
  the 
  rational 
  orderliness 
  and 
  harmoni- 
  

   ous 
  consistency 
  of 
  Nature, 
  but 
  rather, 
  we 
  should 
  say, 
  the 
  

   reward 
  of 
  those 
  organisms 
  which 
  face 
  the 
  facts 
  effectively 
  

   with 
  the 
  clear-headedness 
  of 
  vigorous 
  health. 
  To 
  the 
  ideal 
  of 
  

   the 
  good 
  there 
  corresponds 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  subordination 
  

   of 
  self 
  to 
  species 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  organisms. 
  To 
  

   the 
  ideal 
  of 
  the 
  beautiful 
  there 
  corresponds 
  the 
  richness 
  of 
  

   the 
  realm 
  of 
  organisms 
  where 
  ugliness 
  is 
  banned. 
  

  

  SUMMARY. 
  

  

  In 
  an 
  endeavour 
  to 
  indicate 
  what 
  contribution 
  Natural 
  Science 
  has 
  

   to 
  make 
  to 
  our 
  general 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  pass 
  

   over 
  the 
  pervasiveness 
  of 
  beauty 
  in 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  organisms. 
  Scien- 
  

   tific 
  investigation 
  has 
  disclosed 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  microscopically 
  minute, 
  in 
  

   internal 
  structure, 
  in 
  the 
  well-concealed 
  everywhere. 
  

  

  We 
  mean 
  by 
  the 
  beautiful 
  that 
  which 
  excites 
  in 
  us 
  the 
  distinctive 
  

   kind 
  of 
  emotion 
  called 
  assthetic, 
  the 
  characteristic 
  qualities 
  of 
  

   which, 
  such 
  as 
  duration 
  without 
  satiety, 
  communicability, 
  and 
  detach- 
  

   edness 
  from 
  utility, 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  discussed 
  by 
  experts. 
  What 
  

   concerns 
  us 
  in 
  this 
  study 
  is 
  the 
  interesting 
  fact 
  that 
  all 
  natural, 
  

   free-living, 
  fully-formed, 
  healthy 
  living 
  creatures, 
  which 
  we 
  can 
  

   contemplate 
  without 
  prejudice, 
  are 
  in 
  their 
  appropriate 
  surroundings 
  

   artistic 
  harmonies 
  a 
  joy 
  to 
  behold. 
  

  

  This 
  thesis 
  may 
  be 
  objected 
  to 
  on 
  various 
  grounds 
  that 
  beauty 
  

   is 
  wholly 
  in 
  our 
  minds, 
  that 
  our 
  likes 
  and 
  dislikes 
  are 
  wholly 
  due 
  

   to 
  individual 
  and 
  racial 
  nurture, 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  agreement 
  as 
  to 
  

   what 
  is 
  beautiful; 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  possible 
  to 
  meet 
  these 
  objections. 
  

   Another 
  series 
  of 
  objections, 
  however, 
  consists 
  of 
  evidence 
  that 
  

   the 
  realm 
  of 
  organisms 
  is 
  spotted 
  with 
  ugliness; 
  and 
  to 
  meet 
  these 
  

   it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  emphasise 
  the 
  saving-clauses 
  of 
  our 
  thesis, 
  that 
  

   it 
  does 
  not 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  domesticated 
  and 
  cultivated, 
  the 
  diseased 
  or 
  

   crippled, 
  the 
  unfinished, 
  the 
  parasitic, 
  and 
  the 
  freakish. 
  Moreover, 
  

   the 
  artistic 
  harmony 
  is 
  often 
  obscure 
  till 
  the 
  creature 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  its 
  

   native 
  haunts 
  a 
  fact 
  of 
  special 
  importance 
  when 
  these 
  are 
  of 
  its 
  

   own 
  choosing. 
  

  

  